BIOLOGY AND BREEDING

Q: What’s wrong with babies? Don’t you like
babies?

VHEMT Volunteers love babies as much as anyone else. “Having babies”
is not so much the problem—having adults is what’s causing the problems. The environmental impact of disposable diapers is heavy, but we are adults much longer than we are children.

People who envision having a baby often forget that they are creating an
entirely new human being who will leave in a few years as an adult.

Youth is a wonderful phase of life, whether it’s people, panda, or panther. It’s sad to imagine there being no more of any of them. A baby condor may not be as cute as a baby human, but we must choose to forgo one if the others are to survive.

Children’s welfare will improve as there are fewer of them to care for.
Considering the future world we are creating for future generations,
procreation today is like renting rooms in a burning building—renting them
to our children no less.

Choosing to refrain from producing another person demonstrates a profound
love for all life.

Q: Aren’t the wrong people making babies these days?

Some say, “The wrong people are having children these days.” How many
times have you heard this expressed? We can be sure they’re not talking
about themselves: it’s those wrong people. It’s “those stupid,
slack-jawed degenerates who shouldn’t breed. Those too poor to raise
children, or so warped they don’t even like children and might abuse
them.” Certainly, this logic follows, “bad genetic specimens should never
duplicate their defects.”

Implicit in these opinions is the attitude that some people are the right
people to pass along their genes. Smart, financially secure, responsible,
socially aware people with superior genes ought to make more of each other.
After all, someone is going to, right?

Maybe so, but even if intelligence could be measured or inherited, there’s no evidence that smart people’s exhaust stinks less than morons’. And, since the wealthy are better able to provide materially for their dependents than are the economically disadvantaged, they’re also likely to do the most damage to the environment with their excessive
consumption.

Some say that their religious or political belief system needs more
members to make the world a better place, but there’s no guarantee that
offspring will follow the traditions of their parents. In fact, just the
opposite seems to be common in modern societies. Besides, if the only people
who will accept a belief system are those born into it, there must be some
serious flaws in that system.

Others contend that their race or ethnic group is in the minority, or will
be soon if they don’t keep up. Carrying on the family name has long been an
unquestioned justification for reproduction, and when a couple says they want
to “have one of our own,” they mean “make one that has our genes.”
The mindset behind this bloodline mentality is deep and strong: more of
“Us” and less of “Them”. Smell like racism to you? When couples try
to conceive a specific gender, sexism is also in the wind. It goes beyond
elitism for us to create replicas of ourselves while tens of thousands of
Others’ children die from lack of care each day.

Anyway, simply increasing the sheer numbers of people who share a
philosophy or genetic makeup doesn’t always improve their status.
“Breeding wars” between rival groups have shifted political power in a
few majority-rule governments, however, members of those groups usually
aren’t any better off just by being in a larger voting block. Breeding for
power is a remnant of that ancient tradition of mass murder we call genocide.
The motivation remains the same.

Really, as VHEMT Volunteers know, it’s the wrong species “having
children.” Regardless of our superficial differences, we are all Homo
sapiens. As long as extinctions of wildlife continue at an outrageous pace,
the intentional creation of another one of us can’t be justified.

Well, could you pass a minimal intelligence test if one were required for
a “license to breed”?

To find out, simply answer this question:

In light of the tens of thousands of children dying of malnutrition each day, and
considering the number of species going extinct as a result of our excessive
reproduction, do you think it would be a good idea to create another of
yourself?

Humans, like all creatures, have urges which lead to reproduction. Our
biological urge is to have sex, not to make babies. Our “instinct to
breed” is the same as a squirrel’s instinct to plant trees: the urge is
to store food, trees are a natural result. If sex is an urge to procreate,
then hunger’s an urge to defecate.

Culturally-induced desires can be so strong that they seem to be biological, but no evolutionary mechanism for an instinct to breed exists. Why do we stop breeding after we’ve had as many as we want? If the instinct is to reproduce, how are so many of us able to over ride it? There are too many who have never felt that urge: mutations don’t occur in this high a percentage of a population.

Looking to our evolutionary roots, imagine Homo erectus feeling the urge to create a new human. He then has to understand that a cavewoman is needed, sexual intercourse must be engaged in, and they will have to wait nine months.

Considering how often our species has the urge for sex, it’s likely
human sexuality serves primarily a pair-bonding function rather than
procreative. Human infants are vulnerable for so long that their survival, in prehistoric times, may have depended on a strong pair bond between parents. Bonobos, perhaps our closest biological relative, are reported to engage in sex for social reasons more than for reproductive reasons.

Q: Aren’t there good reasons for human breeding?

If children were brought into the world by an act of pure reason alone,
would the human race continue to exist? Would a man rather have so much
sympathy with the coming generation, as to spare it the burden of
existence? Or at any rate not take it upon himself to impose that burden
upon it in cold blood.

~Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)Sufferings of the World 1851

Like the Greek philosopher Diogenes,
searching all day with a lighted lantern for an honest person, the search for a rational, ethical reason for creating one more human today goes on without success. Ask someone why they plan to create another of themselves, and they’ll most likely offer one of the reasons listed in the chart below.
Their real reasons are given in the middle, and alternatives to breeding for those reasons are given to the right.

Disarm that culturally-implanted mental time bomb.
It’s okay to make love and not babies.

I don’t know.

Never thought about it. Unthinking conformity.

Think before you breed, and you might not.

I might regret not having had the experience later,
when it’s too late.

Fear of future worries and life passing too fast.

We can’t experience everything. Far better to
regret not breeding than to regret breeding

I do not want to deny my kids (who do not exist yet)
the joy of existence.

Ignoring lack of joy in existing children.

Promote existence of joy rather than imagining joy
in mere existence.

Procreation has traditionally been a source of
personal empowerment for women.

Feels powerless. Desires power and respect society
appears to give to mothers and withholds from others.

Mothers get more lip service than respect. Picking
up family’s slack is not empowering. Seek self-defined sources of
power.

Admittedly, having VHEMT Volunteers judge reasons for people breeding is
like holding a contest for the most intelligent species, and appointing the
“most intelligent species” to set the standards for winning. So, you be
the judge: are any of these reasons compelling enough to justify creating a
whole new human being today?

Although nearly half of conceptions are unintended, a desire to conform to what society considers normal is probably the number one cause of wanted pregnancies. Many who continue to breed have never considered doing otherwise. Natalist propaganda remains insidiously rampant and rampantly insidious.

Q: I’ve always wanted to have a baby of my own. What else is there to
life?

For many of us, it isn’t enough to say, “just don’t do it.” Most
people who aren’t already parents need alternatives to fill the needs which
procreation seems to fill.

Both men and women can feel a need to nurture, and nurturing Earth’s
other “children” can be a viable alternative. Wildlife rehabilitation and
protection, habitat preservation, reforestation, Adopt-A-Stream, and gardening offer
possibilities.

For those who prefer not to substitute Nature for humans, there are plenty
of children in need of parenting. Adoption, step and foster
parenting, borrowing relatives’ children, and Big Brother - Big Sister Programs might fill
the need. Also, occupations in child care and education can provide ample
opportunity for sharing and caring.

Young people aren’t the only ones in need of care. We humans, like other
domesticated animals, need to be cared for at some time in our lives. Helping
the elderly, handicapped, sick, or other disadvantaged folks could also
satisfy altruistic needs.

Companion animals have less of an impact on the environment than humans,
and many childfree people find adopting a dog or cat to be emotionally
fulfilling.

The first step to finding an alternative to procreating is to rethink the
pronatalist mindset of the past. From an early age, we are told we’ll have
children of our own some day. We are asked, “How many and when?” When our
answer is “Nevermore,” alternatives begin to have meaning.

Sex is the way most babies are started, but is sexual intercourse really
the primary cause of human reproduction? Let’s consider the statistics:

The World Health Organization estimates that 100 million couples engage in
sexual intercourse on an average day, which is only 3.3% of the world’s six
billion humans. This pitifully low amount of love-making results in around
910,000 pregnancies, thanks in part to contraceptives and sterility. For a
variety of reasons, 55% of these zygotes don’t make it through fetushood to
live birth. According to a current U.S. Census Bureau estimate, 359,000 do
make it daily.

So, less than 0.4% of each day’s heterosexual trysts result in the
creation of new humans—a statistically insignificant correlation for
proving causation. In fact, it rounds to zero.

Try it for yourself. Estimate how many times you’ve engaged in sexual
activity in your lifetime. Now estimate how many times you were trying to
make a baby. Divide the little number by the big number to give you the
percent of times sex and procreation have simultaneously motivated you.

Perhaps if there were more opportunities for sexual gratification, so many
people wouldn’t feel the need to fill a nagging emptiness with a needy
dependent.

[Please note: the above shows how statistics may be manipulated. If we approach the equation from the other end, more than 99% of us were started by sexual intercourse.]

Q: Does VHEMT favor abortion?

Only when someone is pregnant.

Seriously though, pregnancy should be prevented whenever possible.
Unwanted pregnancy is the cause of almost all abortions, and VHEMT certainly
doesn’t favor unwanted pregnancy.

The Movement doesn’t even favor wanted pregnancies.
Unfortunately, accidental conceptions still happen, so an available and safe
safety net is essential for the well-being of girls and women. Criminalizing
abortions has never prevented them from
being performed, it just makes them unsafe: illegal abortions cause an
estimated 68,000 to 74,000 deaths, with five
million suffering from complications each year.

The issue of a woman’s right to a legal and safe abortion is somewhat
beyond the scope of VHEMT. However, the first word is “Voluntary” and
coerced births are not. A wide range of opinions on this subject exists
within The Movement.

Prestigious Awards for Reproductive Responsibility

This handsome trophy is awarded to those outstanding citizens who
acknowledge 7+ billion humans on Earth is more than enough, and who put their
money where their gonads are.

The Silver Snip Award

Anyone, including biological parents, who has chosen permanent, surgical
contraception (vasectomy, tubal ligation, hysterectomy, etc.), may download
this animated gif. Please include a link to this page when
proudly displaying the Silver Snip Award on your website.

The Golden Snip Award

This award is reserved exclusively for those brave pioneers who have never
never reproduced, and never will. The Golden Snip Award honors childfree
individuals who have chosen permanent, surgical contraception (vasectomy,
tubal ligation, hysterectomy, etc.), in order to not create more Homo
sapiens. Adoptive parents who have never conceived, and who do not support
the fertility industry (surrogate mothers, egg donors, IVF, sperm banks) may
also download this animated gif. Please include a link to this page when
proudly displaying the Golden Snip Award on your website.

Couples are under
varying amounts of pressure to breed, depending on their society and
government Gauge the pressure you’re forced to
endure.

1. Personal pressure. Cultural conditioning to procreate
begins early and continues insidiously into adulthood. It’s so strong that most of us have never considered not breeding. It’s so pervasive that we don’t realize we’ve been indoctrinated by society to act against our own best interests. An instilled desire to create children feels natural, almost biological. A choice isn’t much good if we don’t know we have it.

2. Positive social pressure. There’s only one socially
acceptable response to news of pregnancy or birth: “Congratulations”.
Despite a lack of social benefit, society gushes mindlessly about joys of
adding more people. For most of us, resistance to fertile is futile.

3. Positive economic pressure. Economic incentives to
breed come from those who control enough money to provide them.
Corporate-controlled governments all over the world are paying baby bounties with the hope of future economic
benefit. People higher up in the pyramid scheme know they need a large base
to support their privileged position.

4. Negative social pressure. Childfree couples endure
society’s disapproval
for shirking their duty to provide fodder for factory and cannon. Accusations
of decadence, immaturity, and selfishness pressure couples to conform and
procreate. In extreme cases, shunning and even death await women who fail to produce an heir—preferably male.

5. Negative economic pressure. Those who choose to eschew
breeding aren’t directly fined, but they subsidize others’ choice to breed. It takes a village to raise a child, so pay up.

6. Pure pressure. Mandatory breeding rarely reaches the
horrific level of Romania’s under Ceausesu, but wherever contraceptive services and reproductive freedoms are restricted, pure pressure to breed is automatically exerted. Hundreds of millions of couples are denied their basic human right to stop creating more children than they want or can care for.

The most important decision a couple will face is whether or not to bring
another of us into the world. Pressure to make either choice disrespects
autonomy. Any level of pressure to take on the life-altering, all-consuming
task of child-rearing is unconscionable. Reproductive freedom and
responsibility are based on respecting personal choices of those considering
co-creating a new human being.

Percentage of women using any modern method of contraception among those aged 15-49 who are married or in a union. 2011 UN report.

If you were ruler of the world, where would the contraceptive pressure gauge arrow point when you announced your global family planning policy? Each level has pros and cons to consider. Join the fun and add your own.